What to do when the riding’s not so hot? Heat up some soup, of course.

The Petersville Community Nonprofit Corp. held its annual soup contest over the New Year’s holiday at its Search and Rescue Community building, and the event drew a big crowd.

Also drawing a crowd was the New Year’s Eve fireworks, sponsored by Petersville Community NPC and held at the Kenny Creek Lodge.

“We gotta have something to do,” said the club’s Michele Stevens, who noted early-season conditions in the area had been marginal at best — “The hills are just all tore up,” she said.

Riders tore into some soup during the contest.

“The community was very supportive,” said Stevens, who noted the club’s new building now has heat and lights.

Jenith Flynn won first prize in the contest for her jalapeno popper soup; Bonnie Johnson and Tom Hendricks tied for second – Johnson with her “kitchen sink” soup and Hendricks with his rib-eye soup; Stevens’ own seafood soup took third and Patrick Cummings’ “German” soup nabbed him fourth.

There were also fireworks to ring in the New Year, she said.

“There were more people up at the lodge than I’ve ever seen,” she said of the activity surrounding the fireworks event.